| Mid-Hudson Children's Museum | |
|---|---|
West elevation of museum building |
|
| Established | 1997 |
| Location | 75 North Water Street, Poughkeepsie, NY |
| Type | Children's |
| Visitor figures | 65,409[1] |
| Director | Ed Glisson |
| Public transit access | Poughkeepsie, Metro-North Hudson Line |
| Website | Mid-Hudson Children's Museum Home Page |
The Mid-Hudson Children's Museum is located on North Water Street in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It has been located in a brick building across from the former Innis Dye Works building, a short walk from the Poughkeepsie station on Metro-North's Hudson Line and right on the Hudson River. It has been there since 2002, five years after its 1997 founding.[2] Before then it had been located in the South Hills Mall.
Its mission is "enlighten minds through a fun and creative learning environment where hands-on experiences spark curiosity, discovery and the joy of exploration".[2] All exhibits are hands-on, including a play-space model of the human heart, a Hudson River tides water table[3][4] and models of Leonardo da Vinci's machine. Sponsors include IBM, a major local employer, Texaco and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.[5]
Representative Maurice Hinchey secured a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to facilitate the sharing of exhibits between the children's museum and the American Museum of Natural History.[6] In 2007 the museum acquired the Pavilion, an 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) open-air building nearby. It will host exhibits showing life in the Hudson Valley over different periods of time, stretching back to prehistory. These are scheduled to be open in summer 2009.[1]
